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On
July 24, 2005, the United Nations announced the distinguished
award of Special UN consultative status to Mata Amritanandamayi
Math (M.A. Math), a leader in tsunami relief efforts and humanitarian
activities in India. The Math is among 30 Indian NGO’s
to ever receive formal UN affiliation in India. This important
partnership will provide opportunities for joint collaboration,
most notably in disaster relief efforts and the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals. Read
more
M.A.Math
and the United Nations - Leading the way...
Tsunami Relief efforts
of the M.A.Math - An
overview.
Some
unpublished moments from Amma's recent U.S.Tour
" I am your
mother. I am never too busy for you. You can walk up to me
anytime you want." This is what Amma told Amrita, a 6
year old girl, who had an intense desire to say bye to Amma
but was reluctant, as Amma was receiving thousands of people
in her arms that night.
Ten year old Vibhu, was found to be playing with a gameboy
at all times. His mom tours with him to many places, to see
Amma. What is this young boy's relationship with Amma? When
he came for darshan, Amma saw his gameboy and asked him about
it. He very excitedly began to explain in english to Amma
about it. With a very serious expression, similar to his when
he plays his gameboy, Amma played with the toy and the young
boy giggled as Amma's gameboy character kept walking into
the wall! It is truly amazing how Amma relates to people of
all ages and from various walks of life. She takes all the
trouble necessary to make them feel at home, completely loved
and accepted.
This particular teenager wanted to do a particular seva, near
Amma. He was not experienced in that job and ended up being
an hindrance to Amma who was multi-tasking between darshan,
answering questions, listening to problems and so on. One
of the organisers complained to Amma about the boy who refused
to move from his seva position, inspite of being told that
he was not doing his job well. Amma's reply was, " It
is okay with me. If that makes him happy, I do not mind the
inconvenience."
This young lady was known for her mood-swings. Amma told her
one day, "You should learn to smile. Each smile is like
a flower blossoming in a garden. It delights everyone around
and makes you feel good too."
Amrita
TV - Hope in the air
AmritaTV
is a new TV Channel that has been launched by Amma's admirers,
to promote sound values and provide entertainment that does
not cross the boundaries of good culture and values. This
new TV channel was inaugurated with Amma's blessings.
Here
is an excerpt from Amma's message on the inaugural function
of Amrita TV
Today, TV and newspapers have become
indispensable parts of our life. There are already so many
TV channels. We may question the necessity of yet another.
We see so many burning problems all around us: starvation,
unemployment, natural calamities, increasing violence, etc.
It would be natural for one to think that alleviating the
pain of those suffering from these myriad afflictions is the
need of the hour.
But we should remember one thing: we alone are the ones responsible
for many of these problems; we have created them. We can trace
the origin of all problems to the human mind. This is where
all problems start. Therefore, our primary duty (or dharma)
is to cultivate values in us. Media is one of the
instruments to achieve this.
We surely need entertainment and enjoyment. Without entertainment,
life is like a corpse. To awaken our creativity, entertainment
is necessary. But if we allow our entertainment to be devoid
of culture, it will only lead us to danger. On the other hand,
when culture and entertainment are blended together, life
becomes a true celebration. When Amma talks about culture,
she means goodness, values, correct conduct (sadachara) and
duty (dharma). To discriminate between truth and untruth and
bring out the reality, to point
out the right and the wrong—this is the responsibility
of the media. If it just voices one side, the truth will become
diluted, like milk to which water has been added.
To
read the full message click here
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Subscribe...
Gems
to treasure
Prayer
Excerpted from " Lead us to the Light" - A Book
of questions answered by Amma.
Question:
Isn't is useless to pray before one's
mind has become pure?
Amma:
My children, don't think thoughts like,
" I have committed so many mistakes in my life. I can't
pray because my mind isn't pure enough. I'll start praying
as soon as my mind becomes pure." If you decide to swim
in the sea only after all the waves have subsided, you will
never get to swim. Nor will you learn how to swim by just
sitting on the shore. You have to get into the water.
Imagine if a doctor were to say to a patient, " You can
come to me only after your illness is gone!". Similarly,
it is God your purifies our minds. That is why we take refuge
in Him. Only through God can the mind become pure.
There is no need to feel remorseful about the way we have
lived until this moment. The past is like a cancelled check.
A pencil usually comes with an eraser, so that we can quickly
erase what we have just written. But we can erase there only
once, for if we write again in that spot and then erase again
what we have written, we will end up tearing the paper. God
forgives us for the mistakes we make out of ignorance, but
to repeat a mistake after we have understood it is an error
is the gravest type of mistake. We should avoid this.
Satsangs
Events in the satsangs
Labor
day Retreat - On September 3rd and 4th in the San Ramon
ashram, California. This retreat includes meditation, chanting,
hatha yoga, question & answer sessions, and opportunities
to hear Dayamrita Swami’s inspiring stories of his experiences
with Amma. Delicious vegetarian meals are also included. Please
join us for the weekend and return home reconnected and revitalized.
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Amrita
TV 
